Porcupine Mountains Winter Sports Complex Adjusting Rates to Keep Pace with Inflation

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Whether carving fresh powder, exploring downhill runs or enjoying breathtaking Lake Superior views, the Porcupine Mountains Winter Sports Complex in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula offers something for every winter enthusiast.

To keep pace with rising operational costs and ensure fair competition with regional ski areas, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is implementing rate adjustments on select lift tickets, season passes, lessons and equipment rentals – the facility’s first price increases since 2018.

The new rates, which will be in effect this ski season (expected to start in late December), were determined by evaluating regional market comparisons and economic indicators, including inflation.

These adjustments ensure the DNR can continue providing a safe, high-quality experience for visitors. State park operations, including the winter sports complex, are largely driven by user fees (such as Recreation Passport purchases and lift tickets) and royalty revenues, with only 3% supported by Michigan’s General Fund tax dollars.

The DNR has recently dedicated $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to critical maintenance of the triple chairlift. Over the past six years, total facility investments have reached an estimated $1.4 million, funding additional chairlift maintenance, new Alpine and Nordic grooming equipment, modern mountain rescue gear, a dedicated staff snowmobile for alpine rescues and refreshed rental inventory (including Sno-Go ski bikes). Read more

General

Custom & Collectable Firearms Introduces Colt Python 3″ Sidewinder .357 Magnum

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Custom & Collectable Firearms proudly presents the Colt Python Sidewinder, a limited-edition .357 Magnum revolver that gives the iconic profile of the Python a modern, tactical edge.

The Sidewinder features a classic blued finish paired with black Hogue grips, and a Black KAGE Compensator System on the 3-inch barrel. The Sidewinder also features a Vortex Venom red dot, SureFire X300 weapon light, and a 24Kt gold-plated flat trigger, bringing together a collection of premium modern components to a classic revolver. Read more

Firearms

Derya Arms Launches the EX1300 Over/Under Shotgun

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Derya Arms (South Derya Corp.), an international firearms manufacturer with production operations in Jacksonville, Florida and Konya, Türkiye, today introduced the EX1300, a break-action over/under shotgun offered in 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410 bore. All three models carry the same $699 MSRP and are shipping now through Derya’s authorized dealer network nationwide.

The EX1300 is built on a monolithic steel receiver finished in nickel, paired with deep black chrome barrels and a hand-selected Turkish walnut stock and forend. Steel automatic ejectors throw fired hulls the moment the action opens. A single selective trigger and a tang-mounted safety with an integrated barrel selector let the shooter choose which barrel fires first. Centered top-lever and tang controls and a stock with no cast-on or cast-off make the gun equally at home in either hand.

The launch expands Derya’s traditional sporting line alongside the EX1400 side-by-side. Where the company is best known in the United States for tactical shotguns and pistols, the EX series is built for hunters, clays shooters and anyone who wants a walnut-and-steel double without choosing between gauges or stretching the budget.

Most American shooters know Derya for tactical shotguns, pistols, and rifles. The EX1300 is the other side of what we build: a walnut-and-steel over/under with ejectors and a full choke set, in the three gauges hunters and clays shooters actually ask for, all at one price. Pick your gauge, not your budget.

— Dustin Jones, Vice President, Derya Arms

THREE GAUGES, ONE PRICE

EX1300 12 Gauge, 28-inch barrels. The all-rounder for waterfowl, upland and sporting clays. Chambers 2¾-inch and 3-inch shells.

EX1300 20 Gauge, 26-inch barrels. Shorter barrels and a 43-inch overall length make it quick in the hands for a full day in upland cover.

EX1300 .410 Bore, 28-inch barrels. Soft-shooting and well-mannered for small game, youth and new shooters, with the same fit and finish as the larger gauges.

Every EX1300 ships with three flush-fitting Mobilchoke tubes — Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder — and arrives in a protective Derya bag. All three models are California, Maryland and Massachusetts compliant and are backed by Derya’s limited lifetime warranty to the original owner. Across the line the gun weighs 6.64 pounds, with a 14.3-inch length of pull and a fixed bead front sight. The 12-gauge and .410 measure 45 inches overall; the 20-gauge measures 43 inches.

AVAILABILITY AND ORDERING

The EX1300 is available now through authorized Derya dealers nationwide. Item numbers and UPCs are EX1300.12.28 (12 gauge, 28-inch barrels, UPC 810216300562), EX1300.20.26 (20 gauge, 26-inch barrels, UPC 810216300579) and EX1300.410.28 (.410 bore, 28-inch barrels, UPC 810216300586).

Product page: https://derya.us/ex1300/

Dealer locator: https://derya.us/dealer-locator/ Read more

Firearms

Department of Interior Reestablishes Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council

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Safari Club International (SCI) applauds the reestablishment of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council and is proud to be represented by Chris Tymeson, SCI Vice President of Government Affairs, as a council member, and Mark Moore, Safari Club International — Music City Chapter, as an alternate member.

The federal advisory council provides recommendations to the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting and shooting sports, partnerships, and public access to hunting and shooting opportunities.

“SCI is honored to have two dedicated advocates selected to serve on this important council,” said W. Laird Hamberlin, CEO of Safari Club International. “Chris and Mark understand the critical role hunters play in conservation, access and responsible wildlife management. Their service will help ensure that hunters’ voices are represented as federal leaders consider policies affecting America’s outdoor traditions.”

Tymeson will represent the interests of U.S. hunters actively engaged in domestic and international hunting conservation. Moore will serve as an alternate member representing the interests of big game hunting organizations.

The council was reestablished by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum earlier this year and replaces the former Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council. Read more

Wildlife

Vortex Adds New Green Dot and Tan Housing Options to Defender Lineup

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When failure isn’t an option. Now with more options for concealed carry and tactical shooters.

Holster wear. Barricade hits. Repeated recoil. Bad weather. Defender was designed for the realities of everyday carry and fast-paced tactical shooting, where equipment gets handled rough and doubt in your optic has no place in the equation.

The Defender-CCW™ and Defender-ST™ Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dots carry that reputation forward with enclosed protection that shields the emitter from rain, snow, dust, and everyday carry debris. Whether mounted on a pistol, offset on a carbine, or piggybacked on an LPVO, dual-power operation and rugged construction deliver the durability shooters expect from the Defender line. New green multi-reticle and tan housing options let shooters tailor their optic to their firearm or personal preference. Read more

Optics

Arkansas Alligator Hunters Harvest 150 Alligators in First Weekend Hunt, 62 Opportunities Remain

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Hannah Jester put her tag on this 12-foot, 4-inch alligator that weighed 448 lbs. at Millwood Lake on Saturday night during her first season as an Arkansas alligator hunter. Photo courtesy Hannah Jester.

The first weekend of the Arkansas alligator hunting season, Sept. 18-21, yielded 150 gators across the state’s three alligator management zones. The second chunk of the hunt is set for sunset Sept. 25-sunrise 28.

Most hunting takes place on private property; hunters apply for permits to hunt public land during July.

Alligator management zone 3, which covers a piece of southeastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Monroe County, accounted for 90 alligators, nine with permits on public land and 81 on private property.

Zone 1, wedged into the southwestern corner of the state and the smallest of the three zones, produced 56 gators, 14 on public land and 42 on private land.

Four alligators were harvested on private land in zone 2, the largest zone, which reaches from the Louisiana state line to Pope County; none were taken on public land.

A new quota for public hunting at Millwood Lake in zone 1 was reached during the first weekend, which means that area is closed to hunting during the second weekend of the season. The area historically has had a lower harvest than permits allowed for, so the AGFC instituted a quota in 2025 to encourage hunters to take their alligator as soon as they could instead of holding out for a larger specimen.

“We did not meet that quota last year, but Millwood Lake hunters took advantage of their first weekend this year and filled the quota during the first two nights of this year’s hunt,” AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant said. “That will be the only area closed to hunting at the start of the last weekend of the hunt.” Check current alligator harvest remaining for each management zone at www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/alligator/season-dates.

This year’s alligator season is well on its way to perhaps setting another record. Hunters set the mark with 205 alligators in 2025, which broke the record of 202 set in 2023.

Roger Alexander got this impressive alligator at Millwood Lake on Saturday night. The alligator measured 11 feet, 2 inches, but Alexander later checked his tape measure and said it may have been a few inches longer than that. Read more

Hunting

FPC Fires Back at Maryland’s “Glock Ban” in Push for Injunction

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Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that it filed its reply brief in support of a preliminary injunction in Bathras v. Moore, urging the United States District Court for the District of Maryland to block the State’s new ban on Glock and Glock-style handguns before it takes effect. Individuals who want to join the FPC Grassroots Army and help support important lawsuits like this one can sign up in under three minutes at JoinFPC.org.

Maryland’s new law prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, receipt, or transfer of so-called “machine gun convertible pistols” beginning January 1, 2027. The State acknowledges that the law targets ordinary semiautomatic handguns because criminals can illegally modify them using illegal conversion devices. FPC’s reply argues that this turns the Second Amendment on its head: the government cannot ban common, constitutionally protected arms because someone could later criminally alter or misuse them.

“Maryland is trying to impose a tyrannical ban on some of the most popular handguns in America, full stop. Glocks are constitutionally protected arms and Maryland can show no historical tradition that justifies banning them. We will Fight Forward until this immoral scheme is eliminated,” said FPC President Brandon Combs.

The reply explains that Glock-style handguns are indisputably common arms used for lawful purposes, and that Maryland does not identify any historical tradition of banning an otherwise lawful firearm merely because criminals could illegally convert, misuse, or abuse it. Read more

Gun Control

Michigan DNR and partners rescue 27 isolated lake sturgeon in Ontonagon River channel

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Sept. 23, 2026
Contact: Cory Kovacs, 906-287-0816 or Dave Caroffino, 231-350-8654

Two lake sturgeon found in an isolated pool in the West Branch Ontonagon River (Ontonagon County).

Earlier this month, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO), conducted three rescue missions to save a total of 27 lake sturgeon from low-water conditions in the Ontonagon River channel (Ontonagon County). The rescue efforts were spurred by a report of three sturgeon stranded in isolated pools in the channel.

On Aug. 23, hikers on the North Country Trail crossed the West Branch Ontonagon River downstream of Victoria Dam. During this crossing, they observed three lake sturgeon in pools in the channel. The hikers reported this observation to the DNR’s Report All Poaching hotline, and the information was forwarded to local fisheries staff.

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Wildlife

Derya MAX Selected as the Kinetic Gun for Drone Counter-UAS System

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Derya Arms USA announced today that the company’s Derya MAX 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun is the firearm used on Drone Kalkan? (“Drone Shield”), a close-range counter-unmanned aircraft system developed in Turkey for mini and micro drones, including FPV and fiber-optic-controlled aircraft that electronic jamming cannot stop.

Two Derya MAX shotguns are mounted side-by-side on a pan-tilt turret and fire together to put a metal cloud across the drone’s flight path. The MAX is manufactured by Derya Arms in Jacksonville, Florida, and is the anti-drone gun on the system.

Drone Kalkan? will be shown publicly for the first time at the 21st MÜS?AD EXPO, September 23–26, 2026, at the Istanbul Expo Center.

THE SYSTEM

Reporting from Anadolu Agency and Turkish defense outlets describes Drone Kalkan? as a compact, vehicle-mountable last-layer defense against cheap, fast aerial threats. Fiber-optic FPV drones keep flying when radio jammers, GPS spoofing, and other soft-kill tools fail. That is why the system is built around a physical shot, not a signal.

Published system details include the following: Read more

Firearms

SAF Win: District Admits Unlawful Search Violated Student’s Rights

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BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) secured a major win today in Harrington v. Crawford after school district officials admitted the search of plaintiff Jack Harrington’s vehicle violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

In October last year, SAF filed the case after Harrington’s vehicle was searched on Hillsboro-Deering High School grounds solely on the basis of school officials learning that Harrington lawfully owned a firearm in his personal life. Harrington owns a handgun which he sometimes carries with him in his truck – in full compliance with all federal and New Hampshire state laws – but never brought the gun to school, which he knew was prohibited. Upon learning that Harrington lawfully owned a firearm, however, he was subjected to interrogation and his vehicle being searched without his consent. No firearm was found during the illegal search as it was safely stored at his home, nowhere near the school campus.

“Maintaining safety on school grounds is a laudable goal,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “But the Constitution demands that school officials have, at minimum, reasonable suspicion to search a student’s property. Critically, choosing to exercise one’s Second Amendment rights cannot be interpreted as a waiver of your rights under the Fourth Amendment, nor can it create reasonable suspicion of a crime. We’re pleased the school district here has admitted their errors and reinforced that the fundamental rights of their students will be respected.”

As noted in the original complaint, “…after the Interrogation in which Jack repeatedly refused to consent to a search and after Jack’s parents were contacted by phone and similarly refused to consent to a search, Defendants searched the Subject Vehicle anyway, finding no firearm.”

“Publicly acknowledging that you’re a gun owner does not justify endless harassment or subject you to invasive searches,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The overwhelming majority of gun owners are law-abiding peaceable people for their entire lives. Simply choosing to exercise your rights under the Second Amendment does not imply that you may do something criminal with a firearm and does not create reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. If that were the case, then lawful gun owners like Mr. Harrington would not just be subject to search of their property on one day – but every day – unless and until they prove that they have sold their constitutionally protected property to the satisfaction of school officials. The Constitution prevents precisely that outcome and worked exactly as designed in this case.” Read more

Gun Control
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